"The Student Room - which houses the largest online community of medical students in the UK - recently surveyed almost 1,550 students to find 37 per cent who had once hoped to study medicine have now said they no longer wish to do so as a result of health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s proposed contract changes"

Do we know that all 1,550 respondents were students wishing to study medicine or was it just like any other poll on here where anyone can click whatever button they like. Also, what was the question?

"The Student Room - which houses the largest online community of medical students in the UK - recently surveyed almost 1,550 students to find 37 per cent who had once hoped to study medicine have now said they no longer wish to do so as a result of health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s proposed contract changes"

Do we know that all 1,550 respondents were students wishing to study medicine or was it just like any other poll on here where anyone can click whatever button they like. Also, what was the question?

37% of you said that you no longer plan to study medicine as a result.

Are you going to still bother with medicine or study something different?

Ive applied for medicine despite everything, there's no point not applying now because of the working conditions, hopefully they can sort it all out before we would even graduate and if not we still need doctors and medicine is something I have my heart set on doing so I don't think anything would dissuade me.

(Original post by Yidi Amin)
This just proves loads of them are in it for the money.

No it doesn't, if you are just interested in the money, you'd go into finance and sign up for 40 years working as a desk dweller. Far easier and more money.

Those I know working as junior doctors spend most of their time in a permanent state of exhaustion, hoping that they don't end up killing someone due to bring overworked. There are easier ways to make money.

(Original post by stephannalee)
Ive applied for medicine despite everything, there's no point not applying now because of the working conditions, hopefully they can sort it all out before we would even graduate and if not we still need doctors and medicine is something I have my heart set on doing so I don't think anything would dissuade me.

You're right, we are always going to need doctors and it's lovely people like you who have their heart set on saving lives and helping people that should be supported and treated with respect. I'm glad you aren't dissuaded and hopefully they get it sorted sooner rather than later!

(Original post by Yidi Amin)
This just proves loads of them are in it for the money.

This just proves that you really haven't read into it at all.

It's not all about the money at all. It's about the fact that these proposals will see them having less say in what hours they work, having to work more at unfavourable times, being forced to work weekends whether they like it or not, and having their take home pay kept the same or even reduced despite the increase in working hours.

(Original post by That Bearded Man)
Anyone studying medicine to get rich is insane.

Depends really, it takes a lot of work and high grades to become a doctor so if it were all about money they should just go for jobs in finance, but generally the life of your family GP is really cushy compared with the baller jobs such as being investment bankers, where you kill yourself until you're 30 and the exit opportunities begin to open up.

For me, what put me off studying medicine (aside from the fact I got to AS Level exams and completely fell apart, so no longer had the grades required) was the sheer financial cost of studying the course - £36,000 alone in tuition fees alone, not to mention maintenance costs, was so intimidating. Coupled with the changes to junior doctor contracts and their pay I think that really sealed the deal for me - why would I put myself in so much debt to then come out and have a poor quality of life and job satisfaction?

It was never really about the money, I mean I'm about to start a Children's Nursing degree so I'm not aiming for anything more than a bit of financial security - but seeing all these young doctors already disillusioned with the NHS, overworked and exhausted and making mistakes and resentful of their choice - I didn't want to have to go through that.

(Also quick note cos I'm sure somebody will say it - nursing was never a "second-best" choice for me when I decided against medicine - I knew I as a person was better suited to nursing deep down)

Personally, it doesn't deter me from wanting to study Medicine at uni, as I did not want to do Medicine for the money anyway (which doesn't really make sense as Medicine is not really the career path to choose if you want to make lots of money haha). However, I think the thing that worries me most about the junior doctor contract is the potential removal of safeguards which ensure that Doctors are made to work for too long. This would not only have a grave impact on the doctors themselves but it would also result in a great depletion in levels of patient care, which in a profession such as Medicine can be fatal!

(Original post by Guls)
but these 'plenty' of people might not really be cut for the job.

If you aren't a specialist doing something like brain surgery then the job consists of knowing how to do a few tests, talking to people, memorising symptoms for common conditions and looking up things if you don't know.